New Delhi, September 17
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram and former Indian Test player Sanjay Manjrekar said here today that the 50-over game had its own charm and it would be unwise to tinker with its format. They said the tremendous interest generated for the sixth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, to be played in South Africa from September 22 to October 5, was proof enough that the 50-over ODI format was here to stay.

Interacting with mediapersons, they said they were against splitting 50-over games into 25-over innings each as they felt that such a tinkering would break the tempo of the contest. Wasim Akram, who played one such split match in England in 2001-2002, found the 25-over innings “a different and boring experience”.

Manjrekar said India had also played a split innings game during a Super 8 match in New Zealand in 2002. He said the idea to split 50-over game was not new, and felt the time was not yet ripe to make any experiment.

Akram said if at all changes needed to be made in the one-day format, it should be tested at the club and domestic levels, before introducing at the ODI level. He said the Champions Trophy was being touted as the “biggest ODI festival of the year” and millions of cricket fans were eagerly looking forward to the India vs Pakistan matches in South Africa.

The format of the trophy made every match in the forthcoming edition relevant. “The tournament will be a great test for the 50-over format,” he added.

Sanjay Manjrekar said the 50-over ODI events might have become a tad tedious, but an event like the Champions Trophy would be a great hit with cricket fans.

Akram said he would put cricket in the order of importance and greatness as Tests, ODIs and T20s. “Every format has its own charm, but those who excel in Tests and ODIs can easily fit into T20. In a 50-over match, the players’ skills and fitness play a considerable role,” he added.

He said as a bowler “you need fitness and stamina to do well in 50-over games”. He said the achievements in the 50-over games would linger longer while the T20 feats would be short-lived. “Think of it, Ram Naresh Sarwan won the man of the match award in the IPL after facing just 11 balls,” he recalled.

Akram said the flat tracks in South Africa would be good for “batters from this part of the world”, while Manjrekar said Pakistan would find it difficult, though they had won the T20 World Cup in England a couple of months ago. He said a weak seam attack might not benefit India either, though the country could make up with their batting depth.

Both Akram and Manjrekar said South Africa were the best team, though Australia were potent too, despite their diminished aura now.

On the recall of Rahul Dravid to the Indian ODI team, they said, “Dravid seems to be the man to fill the gap in the Indian team, though it is not in the best interest of the team in the long run.” They echoed that India should look ahead at the 2011 World Cup, and bring forward young players like Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina.

They said Raina would regain his confidence only if he was allowed to bat at the No 3 position. Manjrekar said Raina would have been playing, had Dravid not been inducted into the team.

Mumbai, September 17
India received a boost before their Champions Trophy campaign when in-form opener Gautam Gambhir was declared fit to return after an injury. The left-hander has recovered from a groin strain and will travel with the team to South Africa, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement today.

India, already without the explosive Virender Sehwag, were sweating on Gambhir’s fitness after the Delhi batsman missed this month’s tri-series in Sri Lanka.

India won the Colombo tournament, also involving New Zealand, and go into the prestigious eight-team event as one of the favourites after not having lost a one-day series in the past year.

Joint-winners with hosts Sri Lanka in the 2002 edition, India also recalled experienced Rahul Dravid to the one-day team last month to bolster their batting on pacy South African pitches for the Champions Trophy. —Reuters

Johannesburg, September 17
Somdev Devvarman yet again holds the key as the Indian Davis Cup team, sans Leander Paes, take on hosts South Africa from tomorrow to stake claim of a berth in the World Group after 11 years. The duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have always given India an edge in the doubles rubber but the last minute pullout of Paes has made things slightly tricky for India.

Now Rohan Bopanna is likely to do double duty. He has to pair with Bhupathi against Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie, a pair capable of giving India a run for their money. Then Bopanna, who is coming back from a knee injury, will have to play two singles as well which means he will be in action on all three days of the tie.

The singles in a Davis Cup tie is five-set affair and it will be interesting to see how Bopanna copes with pressure. It will be surprising if skipper SP Misra let Yuki Bhambri make his debut in the Davis Cup.

Somdev is thus the man for India if it has to make the World Group. India last played in that grade in 1998. Somdev did it for India against Chinese Taipei in the Asia-Oceania tie and after a confidence boosting performance at the US Open he will be high in spirits. Going by his form, the 133rd ranked Somdev will definitely start favourite in both the singles.

Though Somdev has not played against South African number one player Rik De Voest, who is ranked 189th, the Indian recently beat Izak Van der Merwe (290), the other home team singles player, during the Aptos Challenger event. Of late, Bopanna has enjoyed more success in doubles but can fancy his chances against Merwe in singles.

The worrying thing for India is the high altitude Ellis Park indoor stadium. The courts will be faster than the usual hard courts and that gives advantage to the hosts. India have come this close to World Group for the second successive time after they lost to Romania in away tie last year.

India are yet to beat South Africa in a Davis Cup tie as the hosts enjoy a 2-0 head-head-head record. The last meeting between the two teams was in 1994 when South Africa edged past India 3-2 in Jaipur.

The hosts are coming to this tie with an astonishing 10 consecutive wins although they reached the World Group Play-offs for the first time in 10 years. Like India they too have been out of the World Group since 1998. — PTI

New Delhi, September 17
Not the one to bask in past glory, ace Indian doubles player Jwala Gutta has already forgotten her Chinese Taipei win and is gearing up for the Japan Open that gets underway next week.

Jwala and V Diju are the world number seven mixed doubles pair and the duo won the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix Gold last month, but the Hyderabadi girl said she had gotten over the euphoria of winning the title and was focussing on the Japan Open that would begin on September 22.

“Chinese Taipei is past now. I have already forgotten about it. It was a good experience, good exposure and boosted our confidence, but Japan Open is a bigger tournament and a different tournament altogether and we are prepared for that,” she said.

Japan Open Super Series is the first tournament in which Jwala and Diju are competing after their Taiwan title win and she doesn’t want to set any target for the event.

“I have never set any targets for myself. I don’t believe in setting targets. We have been training hard and are well prepared for the tournament. I just want to perform consistently. So that even if we lose, we don’t feel that we didn’t play our best,” Jwala said.

Her partner V Diju, however, said he was hoping for at least a semifinal appearance. “I am aiming to reach at least the semifinals. Winning the Chinese Taipei title has helped improve my confidence level.

I am not under any pressure and I am enjoying my game now,” he added. After Japan Open, Jwala and Diju would play in the Danish Open, French Open in the European circuit and will also feature in the Hong Kong and China Open later in the year. — PTI

London, September 17
Flavio Briatore said he sacrificed himself to save his Renault Formula One team but it will take more than the departure of a flamboyant Italian showman to repair the damage done by race-fixing revelations.

“I was just trying to save the team,” Briatore said after Renault announced he and engineering head Pat Symonds had left the team after allegations they fixed last year’s Singapore Grand Prix by ordering Brazilian Nelson Piquet to crash.

“It’s my duty. That’s the reason I’ve finished,” he told British newspapers, whose commentators emphasised the potentially lethal nature of such a crash and portrayed a diseased sport lacking in moral perspective.

Austria’s triple champion Niki Lauda, who almost died in a fiery 1976 crash at the Nuerburgring, said the scandal marked a new low and the governing FIA needed to take a tough stance.

“The McLaren spying scandal two years ago was extremely serious but mechanics have always discussed technical data among themselves,” he said, referring to a controversy that cost McLaren a record $100 million fine.

“This, though, is new. The biggest damage ever. Now the FIA must punish Renault heavily to restore credibility in the sport.” Britain’s Jackie Stewart, another triple champion, agreed. “There is something fundamentally rotten and wrong at the heart of Formula One,” he said.

“Never in my experience has Formula One been in such a mood of self-destruction. Millions of fans are amazed, if not disgusted, at a sport which now goes from crisis to crisis with everyone blaming everyone else.”

Formula One’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone, a co-owner with Briatore of English first division soccer club Queens Park Rangers, refused to stand up for a man who had been seen by some as his eventual successor.

“It is a pity that Flavio has ended his Formula One career in this way. You can’t defend him at all. What he did was completely unnecessary. It’s a pity that its happened,” he said. — Reuters

BRIEFLY

Fielding, bowling areas of concern: Dhoni
Mumbai: Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday expressed concerns over Team India’s bowling and fielding departments and said a lot of improvement would be needed in the two areas during the ICC Champions Trophy in Sotuh Africa, starting from September 22. “We have done well in patches (in seam bowling) but we need to do well consistently,” he said here on the eve of team’s departure for South Africa. “We are a bit concerned about our fielding, too,” he said. — PTI

Undue Favours:Not to be mentioned as favourites will work in our favour because we will be able to operate under the radar and there will not be too much attention given to us.
— Sangakkara on Champions Trophy

Smith: Freddie’s decision influenced by money
JOHANNESBURG: South African skipper Graeme Smith feels Andrew Flintoff’s surprise decision to shun England’s central contract for a ‘freelance career’ was influenced by the huge finacial rewards that has come into the game recenlty. “I don’t think you can blame Fred for the decision that he’s made. He’s had a very successful career, and at this stage of his career, he wants to maximise his worth and really take control of things,” he said. — PTI

Sushil to lead India’s challenge
NEW DELHI: Olympic bronze medallist Sushil Kumar will spearhead India’s challenge in the World Wrestling Championship to be held in Herning, Denmark from September 21 to 27. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardee, who won a gold in the German Grand Prix earlier this year, will feature in the 66kg freestyle category. — PTI

England job my last: Capello
LONDON: Fabio Capello has said that managing England will be his last job - and he never wants to coach his native Italy. “The England team will be the last football side I coach. Would I coach the Italian national side? No, it simply does not interest me. I wear the England shirt,” he was quoted as saying. Capello is working on a master plan which he believes will turn England into World Cup winners. — ANI

Adebayor handed 3-match ban
LONDON: Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor was handed a three-match ban for violent conduct by the English Football Association on Thursday. The Togo international had accepted the charge for a malicious stamp on Arsenal’s Dutch striker Robin van Persie during City’s 4-2 Premier League home win last Saturday. — Reuters

West Ham sign Franco
LONDON: West Ham United have signed Mexico striker Guillermo Franco, the Premier League club said on Thursday. No contract details were given on West Ham’s website but the 32-year-old Franco, who had been without a club, was delighted to get the opportunity of first-team football in the lead-up to the 2010 World Cup. — Reuters

Delhi lift T20 title
NEW DELHI: Delhi beat Punjab by ten wickets in the final of the All India Bal Gangadhar Tilak T20 Championship. Delhi captain Sobers Joban was adjudged the most popular player while Mohinder Kela was adjudged the man of the series. Scores: Punjab: 128 for 8 (Nishant Monga 36)Delhi: 131 for no loss (Muddasar Khan 81 n o). — TNS

Hoshiarpur emerge winner
CHANDIGARH: Hoshiarpur came out trumps in the final of the 22 nd Punjab State Sub Jr Football Championship organised by Youth Football Club Rurka Kalan, under the aegis of Punjab Football Association. In the final, Gurdaspur was beaten 6-5 in the tie-breaker after both teams were locked at 1-1 at the end of regulation time. Mr Manoranjan Kalia, Cabinet Minister, Punjab visited the venue during the championship and announced a grant of Rs 3 lakh. —TNS